


Home

by Sasshii



Category: AKB48, NMB48
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 03:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1288867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasshii/pseuds/Sasshii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sayaka couldn't give up her dreams, especially when she had three other people relying on her. Watanabe Miyuki was the first girl to ever make her question that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home

“How was your show?” Watanabe Miyuki asked, her voice soft.

“Great!” Yamamoto Sayaka replied, spreading herself out on the rigid hotel bed, “I miss home though.” She added as an afterthought.

Miyuki chuckled, her laugh ringing through the phone’s speakers, Sayaka instinctively smiled, “Is Thailand not fun enough for you?”

“Thailand is incredibly fun, everyone here is so nice but I miss…” Sayaka stopped herself, her face turning red from the words that almost tumbled out of her mouth.

“You miss what?” Sayaka could practically see the smirk that was on Milky’s face right now.

“My bed,” Sayaka coughed into her hand, “This hotel bed is horrible. I think they put rocks in here or something.” Sayaka shifted again, hearing the bed creak unnaturally loud under her weight.

Miyuki sighed, her tone turning serious, “You have more than your bed waiting here for you.”

“I-I know,” Sayaka mumbled, not quite sure what to say next.

“Sayaka?” Milky called quietly.

Sayaka hummed, absentmindedly playing with one of the loose threads on her sheets.

“You know I love you right?”

Sayaka hummed again, “Y-Yeah…I-me too,”

Miyuki sighed again, annoyed at the older girl’s cold responses, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Sayaka asked, stopping her movements and sitting up slightly.

“This relationship. I can’t do it anymore,” Miyuki continued, “This distance. You’re never home and when you are you’re always busy working on something. I wanted to make this work despite that because, I love you but…sometimes it feels like you don’t even feel the same way-”

“Of course I do!” Sayaka interjected, “You know I do.” She said in a quieter voice.

“Then prove it.”

“H-How?”

Miyuki stayed silent, mulling over her thoughts, “Come home,” Her voice desperate but stern.

“I can’t do that, Miyuki,” Sayaka responded quickly, a frown settling on her face, “This is my dream. I can’t abandon this. I’m sorry.”

Sayaka could hear quiet sniffling from the other line, “Let’s break up then.”

The older girl swallowed and hearing Miyuki’s hurt tone she wished that for the first time in her life she could be one of those impulsive people who would drop everything for the one they loved. Unfortunately, she wasn’t, “If that’s what you want.”

“Goodbye then, Sayaka.” Milky said before hanging up.

Sayaka dropped the phone onto her bed and leaned back onto her stiff pillows. She closed her eyes, the hot tears sliding down her face further frustrating her. She slammed a closed fist onto the night stand besides her, feeling the pain run up her arms, “This is my dream,” Sayaka said to the empty room, clutching her arm against her chest, “Why can’t you understand that?”

_____

“What’s wrong, Sayaka?” Yokoyama Yui asked, noticing the downcast look on Sayaka’s face when she entered the restaurant.

“Yeah, you look sadder than usual,” Oshima Yuko piped up in-between bites of her food.

Sayaka sat down across from Jonishi Kei who watched her curiously, “I’m fine, just nervous about the show.” She insisted, forcing a smile on her face.

Yui shot the older girl a look, not believing her words but she nodded anyways, letting the subject drop.

“Order whatever you want,” Kei finally said, smiling over at Sayaka, “Akane said she would pay as a congratulations for a successful tour.”

Yuko set her chopsticks down, “I wish she would’ve offered to pay at a more expensive restaurant,” She groaned, pushing her plate away from her, “I had to eat twice as much so it wouldn’t go to waste.”

“You didn’t have to eat that much, you know!” Yui scolded, lightly smacking the back of Yuko’s head.

 

Yuko yelped and gripped the back of her head, “I was just keeping Akane in mind. She’d want us to eat as much as we could before our show after all.” She finished with a grin.

Kei rested her head on her hand, her plate already scraped clean, “Our next goal should be a world tour.”

“Oh! I agree, I’ve always wanted to go to Europe,” Yuko chimed in.

“Or America!”

“Brazil!”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Yui turned towards Sayaka, her voice a whisper, “Did you get into a fight with Milky?”

Sayaka nodded, eyes glued on the droplets of water that fell from her glass of water, “She broke up with me.”

“Seriously?” Yui leaned back into her chair, her eyes wandering towards their other two band mates who were engrossed in their own chatter, “Why?”

“She said the distance was too much,” Sayaka replied, opting to keep the other reason to herself.

“What? We’re going back home tomorrow though,”

Sayaka shrugged her shoulders, “She wanted me to come home today.”

Yui clicked her tongue, “Milky’s just being Milky.” The older girl patted Sayaka’s back in a comforting manner, “I’m sure she’ll take it all back when you come back home.”

The guitarist raised her eyes to meet Yui’s offering a small smile, “Thanks Yui.” She picked up the menu and mulled over what she wanted to ear. Yui’s words of encouragement were enough to lift her spirits for now.

______

Yokoyama Yui climbed up the stairs, her bag swinging on her arm besides her. She was running errands for the student council and this particular errand required her to find the president of the band club. Once Yui made her way to the door of said club, she stopped. A light melody breaking through the previous silence. Yui pressed an ear against the door and could make out what sounded like an acoustic guitar and a girl softly singing.

Yui reached for the handle and carefully pried the door open, not wanting to disturb the student. Once Yui stood in the open doorway her assumptions were confirmed as she noticed a long haired girl seated on the floor, strumming away and her guitar, her lips moving. Yui clutched at the paper in her hands, gazing at the long haired girl in wonder. Thinking back on the memories now, Yui can’t help but laugh at how dumbstruck she was by the girl’s sheer talent.

Suddenly the girl stopped, her eyes meeting Yui’s, “What did you think?” She asked with a carefree smile.

Yui continued to stare, “I-I,” She thrust the paper out towards the girl, “Are you the president?”

The girl chuckled and shook her head, “The president’s stepped out for a bit, so I guess you’ll have to wait ‘till she comes back.” She motioned towards the chair that sat in front of her.

Yui dumbly nodded and entered the room, taking the seat closest to the door and the farthest away from the guitar playing girl.

“You never answered,” The girl continued, “What did you think? You looked like you enjoyed it.”

The student council member stared at her hands in her lap, resisting the urge to start gushing about how great she was, “It was good.”

“Thanks,” The girl got up from the floor, patting away at her pants for an invisible dust and to Yui’s despair she took a seat across from her, “Do you play anything?”

“I-I sing.” That was a lie. Yui couldn’t sing. Yui loved to sing, but she couldn’t sing. That was a fact.

“Really?” The guitarist looked too excited at the revelation and Yui immediately regretted lying.

Despite that fact, Yui nodded anyways, further digging herself into a hole.

“Can I hear?”

“No way!” Yui covered her mouth, that had come out a little more louder than she had intended, “I don’t even know you.” She added, a little quieter.

The girl stuck her hand out towards Yui, the smile still present on her face, “Yamamoto Sayaka. 16.”

Yui stared at the girl’s hand before reluctantly gripping it tightly with hers, “Yokoyama Yui. 17.”

“Well, now since we’re acquainted,” Sayaka gave Yui’s hand a firm shake, “Sing.”

“That wasn’t what I meant,” Yui sighed, a little annoyed at how straight forward this girl was being, especially towards someone who was supposed to be her senior.

“I just want to hear is all. I won’t judge you if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

Yui opened her mouth to reject the girl again, but something stopped her. Sayaka’s dark eyes pierced hers and she couldn’t quite believe it but somehow it made her feel at ease, “Okay.”

Sayaka gleefully smiled, “Great,” She said, resting her head on her hands, her eyes not leaving Yui’s, “Whenever you’re ready.”

The older girl put her hand against her chest, feeling her heart beat wildly under her palm. This was her first time singing in front of someone that wasn’t her parents, and for a stranger none the less. Yui took a deep breath, feeling the air enter her chest, and exhaled, the air and doubts leaving her mouth, “Okay,” She opened her mouth, singing the first song that came to her mind. Sayaka continued to stare at her, expressionless, even when Yui cringed at the small mistakes she caught herself making. The second Yui finished, she buried her head in her hands, embarrassed at her actions. She still couldn’t believe she just did that, “It was bad wasn’t it?” Yui asked, her voice muffled. She already knew the answer. She knew she was bad, she didn’t need to be told that by some stranger.

“Well…” Sayaka trailed off.

“It’s okay you can just tell me,” Yui sighed into her arms. She knew she should’ve mentioned anything about singing at all but she loved singing. It was her passion. A passion she was horrible at.

“You weren’t bad at all,” Sayaka continued, “You were off on some parts, but overall I think you have a lot of potential.”

Yui lifted her head up, “You don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better. I know I suck.”

Sayaka shrugged, strumming a single chord on her guitar, “I’m not exactly one to lie. I’m just giving you my honest opinion. I think you would be great with a couple of vocal lessons.”

The older girl shook her head, still not believing the guitarist. She still remembered the first time she sang in front of her parents after telling them she wanted to become a singer. Her parents shook their heads, a disappointment in their eyes. They told her she would never amount to anything in singing, it was better to pursue something else. Something she was good at. Something she could make money out of it. After that, Yui never mentioned singing around her parents again.

“Say,” Sayaka paused her strumming, “How much do you love singing?”

Yui looked down at her hands, her parents words running through her head.

“You can be honest with me. I can see how much you love it. It’s not something you see in a lot of people.” Sayaka reached over the table, placing her hand over Yui’s, “I’ll teach you. How to sing that is.”

Yui looked up, shocked. This stranger was offering to teach her? “Why?”

Sayaka retracted her hand, “I told you, I think you have a lot of potential. But, I’ll only teach you on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Join my band.”

______

“It feels good to be home!” Yuko shouted, stretching her arms out in front of her.

Kei nodded next to her, copying the older girl’s movements, “I never thought I would be so happy to be back home.”

“It’s still early,” Yui checked her watch, “We should get dinner together before going back home.”

Yuko shook her head, “No can do,” She reached into her bag and pulled our her mobile, holding the screen out for the three other girl’s to see, “Acchan’s been calling me nonstop since we landed.”

Kei squinted her eyes at the screen, “Wow, I never knew someone could call that many times in such a short amount of time.”

Yuko smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand, “Yeah, she’s really excited to see me.”

“You should call her,” Yui whispered to Sayaka, noticing the younger girl looking at her own device with a small frown.

Sayaka shrugged her shoulders, pocketing her phone, “She probably doesn’t want to see me right now.”

Yui eyed the guitarist, “You’d be surprised.”

“I gotta go guys, I’m afraid if I stay any longer Acchan will have a less than pleasant surprise for me.” Yuko announced with a small wave, “I’ll see you guys in two days.”

The three girls waved back before making their way towards the restaurants.

“What should we eat?” Yui asked, clicking away at her phone.

Kei put a finger to her chin in thought, “I could go for some seafood.”

“What about you, Sayaka?” Yui asked, slipping her phone back into her bag.

“Seafood sounds fine,” Sayaka quickly answered, not really in the mood to eat anything.

“Seafood it is then!” Kei cheered, dragging her two other members towards the closest seafood restaurant.

______

Once the three girls were seated and settled in, Yui pulled her phone out again. Sayaka lazily followed Yui’s eyes as she quickly scanned through whatever she was reading through before swiftly typing out something on the keyboard.

“Who’re you talking to?” Kei asked, peeking over Yui’s shoulder for a glimpse at the screen.

Yui moved her phone away from Kei’s prying eyes, “My mother.” She answered simply, locking her phone and throwing it back into her bag.

Sayaka stared at Yui curiously. Yui wasn’t the type to use her phone a lot, in fact it had taken a lot of convincing from her other band mates to get the girl to even buy the device.

“What should we order?” Yui picked up her menu in a scheme to change the subject.

“Something with shrimp!” Kei quickly fell into her trap, tossing away her previous interest.

Yui continued to study the menu, “What about nabe then?”

“Good idea,” Kei grinned, clapping her hands, “I’ve missed Japanese food.”

“Sayaka?” Yui turned her attention towards the unusually quiet girl.

“Hm?” Sayaka lifted her head from her hand, not paying attention to the conversation.

“Is nabe okay with you?” Yui asked, concern written on her face. Sayaka’s always been the quiet type, however despite that she was usually lively around her fellow band mates.

“That’s fine,” Sayaka answered indifferently.

Yui nodded and called over one of the waiters and placed their order.

“There’s an extra plate here,” Sayaka eyed Yui with interest.

The older girl simply hummed in response, “It seems so.”

“Hey, that’s Milky isn’t it?” Kei announced, getting up from her seat and calling the girl over.

“Keicchi,” Sayaka hissed, pulling the younger girl back down in her seat. However, unfortunately for the guitarist it was too late. Miyuki had taken notice of them and was starting to make her way towards them.

Sayaka covered her face with her hands desperately wishing that she was born with the ability to turn invisible.

“Hey guys,” Miyuki’s soft voice made it’s way to Sayaka’s ears, causing the girl to bury her face further into her hands.

Kei threw the girl a wide grin while Yui politely nodded, “Have a seat,” She patted the open seat next to her.

Sayaka groaned into her hands, she should’ve known that Yui was up to no good.

“Hi, Sayaka.” Miyuki greeted with a gentle smile as if they hadn’t gotten into a huge fight two days ago.

Kei nudged the older girl lightly, “Don’t be rude to your girlfriend.” She whispered.

Sayaka grudgingly lifted her head up, not bothering to correct Kei, “Hi, Miyuki.”

“How was your tour?”

The guitarist held back the urge to roll her eyes. What kind of game was Miyuki playing at? “It was lots of fun, we played a ton of great sets.” Sayaka smiled rigidly, internally cursing Yui in her head.

“That’s good,” Miyuki said politely, “Do you mind we talk somewhere, alone?” She brought her voice down to a whisper. Miyuki was never one to beat around the bush.

Sayaka peered over at Yui in a desperate attempt to get the vocalist to help her but the other girl was busying herself with distracting Kei. Traitor. The older girl sighed seeing no other way to get out of this, “Alright.”

“Thank you,” Miyuki said gratefully, picking herself up from her seat. Sayaka slowly following suit.

“Where are you guys going?” Kei asked, finally taking notice of the two.

“Bathroom,” Miyuki excused, dragging Sayaka by the sleeve towards the restroom.

“Okay, what did you want to talk about?” Sayaka shook Milky’s hand off of hers as soon as they reached the empty restroom and tried to distance herself as far away from the other girl as she could.

“I’m sorry,” Miyuki apologized, her eyes trained on her hands, “It was really selfish of me to ask you to do that. I felt bad after and I wanted to call you back but you know how stubborn I can be,” She finished with a small chuckle, before her face turned serious again, “Sorry, Sayaka. I know I’m being selfish again, but I want us to still be friends.”

“Friends?” Sayaka asked, taken aback.

Miyuki nodded once, finally lifting her head to look at Sayaka, “I love you…I think I always will, but I meant what I said before.”

Sayaka wanted to protest but she suppressed the urge, “If that’s what you want then okay.”

Miyuki looked disappointed at Sayaka’s words, “I’m seeing someone else.”

The older girl tightly clenched her fists. Was this Miyuki’s intention all along? Apologize and give Sayaka hope only to rub it her face afterwards. She always knew Miyuki had a cruel side but she didn’t think she was this harsh. Despite her anger, Sayaka forced a tight smile on her face, “Good for you.”

Miyuki sighed and the downcast look on her face further aggravated Sayaka, “You’re so dense, Sayaka.” She muttered before pushing past the older girl and leaving the restroom. Sayaka stood there dumbstruck before slowly turning to exit herself. Girls never made any sense to her.

______

“How did it go with Milky?” Yui turned and whispered to Sayaka. The two days since they had arrived back home had passed by quickly and the band was hastily sent off to the studio to start working on their new album.

Sayaka narrowed her eyes, “You set me up.”

 

“She wanted to meet up with you but was afraid you wouldn’t agree to it if she asked you,” Yui frowned, “Did it not go well?”

“She wants to be friends,” Sayaka crossed her arms over her chest, a small scowl on her face, “She told me she’s with someone else now.”

Yui hummed in thought, “She really doesn’t waste any time.”

“At least it gives me more free time to focus on this album,” Sayaka sighed into her hand.

“That’s right,” Yuko agreed, slinging her arms around Sayaka and Yui, “Our goal is Europe!”

“Or America!” Kei yelled from across the room.

“Or Brazil!” Yuko yelled back with a wide grin, cause both Sayaka and Yui to wince and the loud voice, “Sorry,” Yuko apologized sheepishly in her normal voice.

“We have to work harder if we want to get to Europe, let alone America.” Sayaka voiced loud enough so that Kei could hear as well, “Let’s start with getting our album done first though, before thinking about any tours.” Kei smiled and threw Sayaka a thumbs up.

“Roger!” Yuko let go of her band mates and saluted before running over to where Kei was on standby.

“Do you really think we can do it?” Yui asked, watching Yuko and Kei interact with a fond smile, “It’ll be hard to get a tour outside of Asia.”

“It’ll take a lot of work,” Sayaka acknowledged, “But, I think we can do it.”

“What about Miyuki?” Yui suddenly questioned.

“What about her?” Sayaka’s voice grew rigid at the mention of the younger girl.

“Aren’t you going to try and win her back?” Yui raised an eyebrow.

Sayaka shrugged her shoulders, “I only want her to be happy. If us being only friends makes her happy, then I’ll do it.”

“But what about your happiness?” Yui gazed boldly at the girl that stood before her, “Doesn’t that matter as well?”

Sayaka shrugged again, a wistful smile on her face, “I’m happy just being with you guys and doing what I love.”

“Come on,” Yui gripped Sayaka’s hand with hers and squeezed it lightly, “Let’s get to work then.”

______

“I’m so tired,” Yuko complained, collapsing onto the couch (and Airi and Kei’s laps) set out in the sound room and burying her face into the soft pillows.

Kei, who was also slumped over on the couch next to Airi, pat Yuko on the back, “Me too,” She yawned, eyes half open.

“Cheer up guys, this is your last song.” Tanaigawa Airi said in an attempt to help raise their morals.

Yuko shifted to lay on her back and draped an arm over her face to block out the bright lights, “That’s easy for you to say, all you have to do is watch us.”

“I do more than just watch you guys,” Airi glared at the bassist in her lap, “It’s hard work having to take care of you guys,” She reached down, pinching the girl’s cheek with her fingers.

“Ow! Sorry, sorry!” Yuko desperately tried to shake the girl’s hand off of her.

Airi sighed and released the girl’s face, “It’s your turn Keicchi,” The girl said, noticing Sayaka exiting the recording room and walking towards them.

Kei nodded and gently pushed Yuko up into a sitting position, “Wish me luck,”

“What do you need luck for? You can record as many times as you want,” Airi said grudgingly, arms crossed against her chest, “…Good luck.”

Kei shook her head and pouted, pointing to her lips with a finger.

“N-No,” Airi stuttered and turned her head in the opposite direction, flustered.

“I’m still here you know,” Yuko waved her arms in the air.

“What are you doing?” Sayaka set her water on the table, looking at Kei who was still seated, “Hurry up or we’ll have to stay longer.”

“Sorry,” Kei immediately got up, “I won’t forget this,” She directed to Airi before heading towards the recording room.

Sayaka let out a breath and relaxed onto the couch, “Where’s Yui?” She asked looking around for the older girl.

“She offered to go and buy us some drinks,” Yuko held out a fist, “Rock always win for sure.”

The guitarist sighed and shook her head, “You’re lucky tha-” A loud, shrill ring cut Sayaka off.

“Sorry, that’s me,” Airi said, pulling her phone out and accepting the call, “Tanigawa Airi,” She spoke into the phone, “Yes, that’s right,” Airi covered the handset with her palm, “I’ll be back. Tell Yui to go in when she comes back.”

Sayaka nodded while Yuko saluted the retreating manager, “Aye!”

After Airi left, Sayaka and Yuko sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound being their producer barking orders at staff members.

“Sayaka?” Yuko broke the silence, her voice faint.

“Hm?”

“I’m really happy we’re in a band together,” Yuko’s eyes were focused on her swinging feet, “Before I met you guys, I didn’t know where I was going to go in life. It’s not like there was anything special about me, I’m just…average at everything and nothing really interested me. But then when I saw you, Kei and Yui playing on that stage and giving it your all even though no one was really listening to you guys…I knew what I wanted to do and when you guys accepted me as your bassist even though I hardly knew how to play then…I was ecstatic. I’m happy you guys gave me a chance,” Yuko looked up at Sayaka, a large grin on her face, “Or rather I’m happy that I met you guys.”

Sayaka looked shocked at the girl’s sudden change of mood, but the shock quickly faded away as the younger girl chuckled and slung an arm around Yuko’s shoulders, “I speak for all of us when I say we’re happy that we met you too. We wouldn’t be here now without you.”

“I’m back-Oh, am I interrupting something?” Yui joked, plastic bag in hand.

“Nah, we’re just having a sappy talk,” Yuko waved her hand, rushing up to the younger girl, “What’d you get me? I’m so thirsty.”

Yui reached into the bag, pulling out a can of juice and handing it to Yuko who took it gratefully, “I hope you guys don’t mind, I met someone at the store and-”

Sayaka dropped her head onto the armrest of the couch and groaned at the sight of girl Yui brought back. She had done so well in avoiding the other girl these past 3 months they were recording. Sayaka cursed Yui, she was never going to trust the older girl ever again.

“Milky!” Yuko shouted with glee, “It’s been so long.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Miyuki smiled, stepping further into the room after Yui, “How’s Atsuko?’

“She’s great, we got a cat together. Hold on-” Yuko pulled out her hand held device and held it up to Miyuki’s face, “Cute right?”

Miyuki nodded, “The three of you look nice together.”

“Dontcha think? I was hoping that-”

After that point Sayaka stopped paying attention to their useless chatter.

“Here, I got you one too.” Sayaka lifted her head to see Yui standing in front of her, holding out a can of juice.

“Thanks,” Sayaka muttered, grasping the cold can in her hands.

“I swear I didn’t plan this,” Yui took a seat next to Sayaka, and opened up the tap on her can, “She saw me and asked if I saw you around lately and I told her we were recording right now and she wanted to come. I tried to tell her we were busy with it, but she kept on insisting, you know how Milky is.”

“It’s alright,” Sayaka sighed, cracking open the tab on her can as well and taking a tentative sip, “It’s not that I don’t want to see or talk to her,” The younger girl glanced off to the side, eying Miyuki and Yuko who were still chatting animatedly, “It’s the opposite, really. I want to talk to her and be her friend but I just can’t do it. I’ll do whatever it takes for her to be happy, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less that she’ll be happy without me,” Sayaka set the can down on the table next to her bottle of water, “I still lo-like her a lot.”

Yui put a hand on Sayaka’s shoulder, “You should tell her this,”

“N-No way. I can’t. Besides she’s with someone else.”

Yui set her can down next to Sayaka’s, “I think if you tell her this, she’ll take you back. She’s always asking me about you and she wanted to see you today so it’s obvious she still cares about you.”

“That’s just how Miyuki is,” Sayaka smiled softly to herself, “She’s always been like that, clamoring for my attention because I never gave her any. She was so determined for me to like her. That’s one of the things I like about her.”

“I still think yo-” Yui was cut off by the loud bang of the door slamming loudly against the wall causing everyone in the room to turn towards the source.

“Good news!” Airi yelled running in through the open doorway, phone gripped in her hand, “They want to give you guys an international tour!”

“What!” Sayaka yelled, standing up from her seat.

Yui stood up as well, shock written on her face, “Seriously?!”

Airi nodded, a huge grin on her face, “It seems the Asian tour was so successful, they want to give you guys a European tour.”

Yuko let out an uncharacteristically, high pitched squeal before running towards Yui and Sayaka, “I told you! I felt Europe in my blood!” Yuko yelled, wrapping her arms around the two girl’s neck and pulling them into a tight hug.

“What the hell’s happening?” Kei demanded, an annoyed look on her face.

“We got an international tour around Europe!” Yuko repeated in a high pitched yell.

“What!?” Kei yelled back, dropping her drumsticks and rushing towards the rest of her band, “I can’t believe this!” Kei wiped away at the tears that were falling from her eyes with the back of her hands.

“Don’t cry,” Sayaka brought an arm around the younger girl’s shoulders and pulled her towards the group. Yui simply laughed and copied Sayaka, a large smile on her face.

“I’m so happy. It’s happy tears,” Kei cried, a large smile on her face as well, “We did it. Even though no one believed in us, look at how far we’ve come.”

“It’s because you all worked so hard,” Airi said, placing a hand on Kei’s shoulder, “Congratulations.”

Kei sniffled and turned around, lunging herself at the manager, “You too. We couldn’t of have done it without you.”

“Who knew Keicchi would get so emotional,” Yuko whispered to Sayaka and Yui as the three of them watched the drummer sob into Airi’s arms.

Sayaka laughed, “You say that but look, you’re crying too.”

Yuko brought a hand to her face, “I guess I am,” She chuckled softly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a tissue to wipe at her eyes with.

“Congratulations,” Miyuki said softly. Sayaka had almost forgotten about the other girl in all her excitement.

“Thank you,” Sayaka replied, her eyes not meeting Miyuki’s.

“Yeah, thanks,” Yuko echoed, nudging Miyuki with her shoulder, “You were the first one to believe in us after all.”

“That’s right,” Yui spoke up, “I’ve almost forgotten, it’s been so long. 4 years ago was it?”

Miyuki nodded, “We are all still high school students then.”

“Except me,” Yuko chuckled, “I was an old lady already when I met you guys.”

“I remember at the end of every show Sayaka would complain because you would never leave her alone.”

“N-No, I didn’t!” Sayaka denied adamantly.

“I remember that too!”

“Sayanee, is this true?” Miyuki whined, a pout on her face.

“It isn’t!” Sayaka continued to deny, forgetting that she was supposed to be angry with the younger girl.

“It definitely is! You complained about it everyday up until you two started going out,” Yuko looked over at Sayaka with a playful smirk, “It must’ve been love all along, huh?”

Sayaka crossed her arms over her chest, an annoyed (and slightly embarrassed) look on her face.

“Yuko,” Yui took the older girl by the sleeve and turning her away from the guitarist, “We should call Acchan and tell her the good news don’t you think?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Yuko hit her fist against her open palm, “She’s gonna be so proud and slightly jealous,” She snickered, pulling her phone out and placing it against her ear before walking towards the door, Yui trailing closely behind her.

Sayaka let out a breath and dropped herself onto the couch. She looked up at Miyuki who was standing there awkwardly, “You can sit down, it’s alright.”

Miyuki stared at the guitarist before carefully seating herself down a couple of inches away from Sayaka, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Sayaka asked, her eyes trained on the white wall in front of her.

“Everything,” Miyuki turned her head towards Sayaka who was trying her best not to look at Miyuki, “I’m sorry for hurting the most important person in my life.”

“Are you happy with her?” Sayaka breathed out.

“Very,” Miyuki answered, her eyes not leaving Sayaka.

“That’s all I need then,” Sayaka turned her head, her eyes meeting Miyuki’s, “As long as you’re happy then I’ll be okay.”

______

“Look at this!” Sayaka shoved a piece of colorful paper in Yui’s face, an excited grin on her face.

“Too close, Sayaka,” Yui pulled the paper from Sayaka’s hand and examined it. Written on the top in big, bold, red letters was ‘Battle of the Bands’ and beneath it was a cartoon drawing of a band, “Battle of the bands?” Yui read out loud, placing the paper on the table.

“Sounds fun right? And look,” Sayaka pointed at the bottom of the page, “First prize winner gets to record a full length studio album for free!”

Yui furrowed her eyebrows, “Do you think we’re ready for that? We don’t even have a drummer or bassist yet.”

“I’ve already beaten you to that. I put ads up from a drummer and bassist and I got a call back from someone wanting to be our drummer,” Sayaka nodded, “She sounded good from what I heard over the phone.”

“She played for you over the phone?”

“No,” Sayaka waved her hand, “From her voice.”

Yui stared at Sayaka in disbelief. Was this girl just pulling things out of her ass now?

“Trust me on this, Yuihan,” Sayaka placed a hand on the older girl’s back, “She’s gonna be good. I just know it”

Yui simply hummed, still not quite believing the other girl, “What’s her name?”

“Jonishi Kei. She’s a year younger than me.”

“Does she go to our school?”

Sayaka shook her head, “She goes to a different one, so we’ll have to find someplace outside of school to practice.”

Yui hummed, “It would be expensive to rent out a room every time we wanted to practice.”

“And my place is no good. My parents would kill me if I brought you guys over to practice everyday.” Sayaka also hummed.

“We can use my place then,”

“Eh? Really? Is that alright with your parents?”

“I live alone and I think my apartment would be big enough to put a drum set in.”

“Wow,” Sayaka marveled, “As expected from my senior.”

“I-It’s not that big of a deal,” Yui shrugged, “My parents live in Kyoto and I didn’t want to travel a long time for school.”

“Are you sure it’ okay though? I don’t want to bother you.”

Yui simply chuckled, “I think you’re already past that point,” Yui’s chuckle turned into a soft laugh, “I don’t mind though.”

Sayaka grinned and laid her head on the cool table, “Sing for me.”

“W-What?” Yui stuttered, not expecting the younger girl to demand that so suddenly.

“I love your voice,” Sayaka looked up at Yui, “And I want to see how my trainings paid off.”

Yui simply shook her head, “I can’t believe you,” Despite her words, the next time Yui opened her mouth she sang the song that Sayaka had been teaching her.

Sayaka closed her eyes and attentively listened to every note that came out of the older girl’s mouth in a beautiful harmony, “Perfect,” She whispered under her breath.

______

“To a million album sales!” Yuko yelled, raising her glass in the air.

The rest of the table cheered and raised their glasses, clinking them against each other.

“I still can’t believe this,” Kei said, bringing her glass down, “Tomorrow we’ll be going off onto an International tour and now our album just sold a million copies on the first day.”

“I know,” Yuko added, taking a large sip of her unreasonably expensive champagne, “I’m pretty sure we’ve used up our entire life’s worth of luck.”

“It’s not luck,” Sayaka pushed her full glass towards Yuko who happily took it into her hands, “We worked hard and earned this.”

Yui nodded next to Sayaka, “Hopefully we’ll only go up from here.”

“Another international tour!”

“A documentary!”

“A reality TV show!”

“A…book?” Sayaka offered weakly causing the other three girl’s to break into loud laughter.

Once the laughter died down they sat in a comfortable silence simply enjoying each others company.

______

“Wow, there’s a ton of people out there!” Kei exclaimed, peeking her head out of the curtain, “At least 100 or so.”

“100 people?” Yui echoed, worry on her face. She had went from only singing in front of her parents, to singing in front of one stranger, and now she was going to sing in front of hundreds of strangers. Just the thought of it caused her heart to pump into overdrive.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Sayaka placed a comforting hand on Yui’s back, “Your voice is perfect. You don’t have anything to fear.”

Yui nodded but the worry on her face didn’t leave.

“It’s normal to be nervous,” Kei added, abandoning her spot near the curtain, “This is your first time singing in front of a crowd, right?”

Yui nodded again.

“I’m sure you’ll be great,” Kei rubbed her chin with one hand, “Although, if the practices were an indication I think you’re do better than great,” She finished with a smile and a small thumbs up.

“Thanks, Kei,” Yui said sincerely, feeling a bit of the worry melt from her shoulders.

Kei waved her hand, “I told you guys, call me Keicchi. We’re family now.”

“F-Family?” Yui had only known the younger girl for a couple of weeks, she would hardly consider her family, “And Keicchi is more of a mouthful to say than Kei.”

“Family eh? I like the sound of that.” Sayaka chuckled lightly.

“I have a feeling we’re all gonna be close for a long time,” Kei joined in.

Yui just shook her head, but couldn’t help the small smile that made it’s way to her face, “Family huh?” She mumbled under her breath.

“Bullet dolls?” A man wearing all black questioned the three girls.

“Yeah, that’s us,”

“You guys are up next. Go to the stage for standby,” The man said before walking away, talking into his earpiece.

“Are you guys ready?” Sayaka asked, adjusting her guitar strap.

Kei nodded, gripping her drumsticks tightly in her hands.

“Yui?” Sayaka looked towards the older girl who didn’t move.

Yui clenched her eyes shut. She would prove to her parents that she was good enough, that she could chase after her dreams and be successful, “I’m ready.”

The first time Yui stepped onto the stage is when she finally understood why so many people craved fame. She would never forget the heat from the stage lights burning her already hot body. Nor would she forget the hundreds of people staring up at her, their attention solely on her. The rush of knowing that they were listening to every single word that spewed from her mouth. It was a feeling that Yui would never tire of. It was this feeling that encouraged Yui to keep going on.

Yui would also never forget the humiliation she felt that night. When they announced the top three winners and her band was not on the list. She remembers the anger and frustration that welled up inside her. She-They had put their entire heart and soul into this and in the end they came out with nothing. Yui will never forget how hard she cried backstage, knowing how close she was to her dreams only to have it snatched out of her hands. It was a feeling that Yui never wanted to experience again. It was this feeling that prevented Yui from ever wanting to stand on stage again.

______

“Are you sure you don’t wanna go with us?” Yui asked for the tenth time (Sayaka counted)

“I’m sure,” Sayaka nudged the older girl towards the door, “I’m tired from the trip, I just wanna take a rest.”

“But it’s the Eiffel Tower!” Yuko yelled from outside the closed door.

Sayaka shook her head, a light chuckle escaping her lips, “You guys have fun, don’t worry about me.”

Yui furrowed her eyebrows, “I can’t help but worry about you,” She lowered her voice, careful to not let the girls outside hear her, “Are you sure you’re alright? I mean with Milky and everything.”

“I’m sure,” Sayaka forced a wide smile onto her face. Miyuki…In honest truth she hadn’t stopped thinking about the other girl. It were the thoughts of their relationship that kept her up. She would spend her nights cooking up different ways she could win Miyuki back, but Sayaka knew she could never muster up any of the courage to actually act on them.

“Alright,” Yui said, hesitation laced in her voice, “I’ll check on you when we get back then.”

“Thanks,” Sayaka opened the door for Yui and waved at her other two band mates that were leaning against the wall.

“Are you not coming, Sayaka?” Kei asked, standing up straight at the sight of the guitarist.

“Yeah, I’m tired,” Sayaka said, “You guys have fun though. Bring me back a souvenir or something.”

Yuko nodded, “Will do boss!”

Yui stopped in the doorway and turned towards Sayaka, “If you need something message me, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I will,” Sayaka lightly pushed Yui out into the hallway, “Have fun,” She called before closing the door.

As soon as she heard the voices from the hallway fade she let the smile fall from her face. She appreciated Yui’s concerns, but sometimes it was too much. Sayaka let out a small sigh and dropped onto her bed, stretching her limbs out across the soft sheets. This time they had gotten a much better hotel and Sayaka’s back appreciated it.

Sayaka picked her phone up and stared at the black screen. She really wanted to talk to Miyuki, but two things stopped her; the time difference and her pride. The first one didn’t matter as much, as Miyuki was probably awake even at this time. However, the second one meant way more to Sayaka than she liked to admit.

Just as Sayaka was about to put the mobile down, it vibrated, surprising the guitarist. She groaned, more likely than not it was Yui checking up on her. She unlocked her phone, not bothering to check the sender and scanned through the short message.

‘Are you in Paris now?’

Sayaka squinted her eyes and reread the message, this time looking at the sender. Miyuki. Sayaka’s grip on her phone tightened. Just seeing Miyuki’s name on top of the message made her heart beat faster. It was crazy how much of an effect she had on her.

‘Just landed a few hours ago. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?’ Sayaka knew Miyuki never went to sleep before 2am but she threw it in anyways to keep the conversation going.

The reply came a minute later.

‘Can’t sleep. Sing me a lullaby?’

Sayaka rolled her eyes despite the happiness that swelled in her chest. Miyuki always had trouble sleeping and would wake Sayaka up at all kinds of odd hours to sing her to sleep. Sayaka smiled fondly at the memory. Although she always pretended like it was a bother to her, it was actually something she enjoyed. She liked knowing that in some way (even though it was minor) Miyuki needed her.

The guitarist quickly typed out her response, not wanting to keep the younger girl waiting for too long, ‘Isn’t that something your girlfriend should be doing for you?’

Miyuki’s response was fast and Sayaka was glad she got a rise out of the girl.

‘Maachun can’t sing, at least not as well as you can. Your voice always puts me right to sleep.’

So Maachun was the mysterious girlfriends name. Sayaka tapped at her phone, wondering what kind of person this Maachun was to be able to capture Miyuki’s heart so fast. Before she knew it Sayaka had typed out her thoughts and accidentally sent it.

‘What’s Maachun like?’

Sayaka cursed under her breath and wished that someone would invent a way to delete already sent messages.

‘Why? You wanna steal her from me?’

‘No! I was just wondering is all…’

‘Jealous?’

Sayaka scoffed. As if. She was the complete opposite of jealous. In fact she didn’t even care at all. It wasn’t like the thought of Maachun (or as Sayaka pictured her, a figure with a giant question mark over her head) doing the things that she used to do with Miyuki make her blood boil. Nope. Sayaka was most certainly not jealous at all.

‘Not at all! I told you I was just wondering.’

‘Sayaka, I’m so tired. Work was soooooo long today.’

‘Go to sleep then!’

‘Not until you sing for me!’

Sayaka sighed, there was no use arguing against Miyuki. In the end she always got what she wanted, ‘Fine. I’ll call you then?’

‘Mhm! I’ll be waiting.’

Sayaka tapped on Miyuki’s name and clicked the call button, placing the phone against her ear. Two rings in and Miyuki’s sleepy voice reached Sayaka’s ears, “Sayaka?”

“Who else would it be?” Sayaka said softly, “Sounds like you didn’t even need me for you to sleep.”

Miyuki laughed lightly, “You caught me. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“O-Oh…” Sayaka stuttered, the heat rising up to her face.

“Heh, I wish I could see your face right now,” Miyuki teased.

“S-Stop!” Sayaka ran a hand through her hair, annoyed, “Just let me sing for you so you can sleep already.”

“Okay,” Miyuki let out one last quiet laugh before falling silent.

Sayaka cleared her throat, suddenly feeling nervous. The guitarist shook her head, she could play in front of thousands of strangers without feeling an ounce of nervousness yet the prospect of singing for Miyuki made her chest tighten and her breath uneven.

The guitarist took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves before opening her mouth and letting her voice pour out. It had been a while since the last time she sang but it didn’t show in her performance at all.

By the time she was finished she was greeted by silence.

“Milky?” No response. Sayaka chuckled to herself, not expecting her to fall asleep so quickly. “Miyuki, I-” Sayaka paused. What was she doing? She couldn’t believe how low she had come. Confessing her love to Miyuki while she slept like Sayaka was some stereotypical character from a book who couldn’t come to terms with her own feelings? Sayaka groaned and leaned back, resting her head against the delicate pillows. If her band mates saw her now, no doubt they would be howling with laughter right now. It was a good thing she stopped herself before she embarrassed herself, no doubt.

Besides, Miyuki had Maachun and Sayaka was content with just being friends with the younger girl. Yes, in fact Sayaka was beyond thrilled that Miyuki had found someone who would be open with her and spend her off days with her instead of cramped inside the recording studio. This band was Sayaka’s life and Miyuki needed someone who would make her their life. With her hectic schedule and constant traveling, Sayaka wasn’t selfish enough to make Miyuki stay with her and deal with that. Miyuki needed someone normal and Sayaka couldn’t be that person, at least not without giving up her dream. No, not just her dream. Her band’s dream.

Sayaka adjusted the phone against her ear so it rested more comfortably against her face and closed her eyes, letting Miyuki’s short puffs of breath lull her to sleep.

______

Sayaka leaned her head against her hand and raised the glass to her lips. They had lost. They hadn’t even come close to winning. This was way out of their league. Sayaka’s grip on the glass tightened, she had let her band down. She let Yui down. Yui who had placed all her trust in Sayaka.

“Hey, you’re from that band, Bullet Dolls, aren’t ya?” A loud voice spoke next to her.

“What about it?” Sayaka traced her finger around the glass’s rim.

“I wanna join!” The girl announced, sticking her hand out towards Sayaka.

Sayaka looked up, surprised. Who in their right mind would want to join them after that performance?

“You guys really inspired me, ya know,” The girl grinned toothily, “Oshima Yuko.”

“Yamamoto Sayaka,” Sayaka introduced herself, ignoring the girl’s extended hand.

Yuko let her hand drop back to her side, “So what do ya say?”

“What do you play?”

Yuko hummed, rubbing her chin with one hand in thought, “Well, I play a little bass.”

“Bass?” Sayaka perked up. Of course, how could she forget? Their missing piece. No band was complete without a bassist.

“Y-Yeah, I mean I’m no pro or anything but-”

“You’re in!” Sayaka reached for Yuko’s hand and gripped it tightly, “You’re our savior.”

“H-Huh? Savior?” Yuko puffed her chest out, “Well, I mean, I get that a lot.”

Sayaka dropped Yuko’s hand and turned towards the bartender, “Can I get a pen please?”

“This was a lot easier than I expected,” Yuko continued, despite the fact that Sayaka was no longer paying attention to the other girl’s ramblings, “I thought you guys would’ve had me play before you accepted me or something. Is this how all bands get their members nowadays?”

Sayaka thrust a napkin in Yuko’s hand, a large smile on her face, “Call me tomorrow, okay? I’ll have you meet Yui and Keicchi and assess your skills.”

“Assess my skills?” Yuko looked at the napkin which had Sayaka’s number written hastily on it, “B-But, I mean I’m already in the band right?”

“Yeah, well we just need to see where you’re at first,” Sayaka stood up from her seat, slipping her jacket on, “Call me, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow, Yuko!” Sayaka waved before running out the door.

“What a weird girl,” Yuko said to herself, stuffing the napkin into her jacket pocket.

______

“Rome!” Yuko yelled, stretching her hands out towards the sky, “Look at how beautiful it is here!” Yuko pointed towards the elaborate fountain that was set up in front of the hotel, “Trevi Fountain!”

“No, that’s just a normal fountain,” Kei chuckled, playfully hitting Yuko’s shoulder.

“Arc De Triomphe!” Yuko shouted in a fake French accent and pointed towards the arch that stood outside their hotel entrance way.

Yui simply shook her head at Yuko’s antics, a small smile on her face.

Sayaka stared at the open travel book that was resting in her hands, “I can’t pronounce any of these words,”

Yui hummed and looked over Sayaka’s shoulder, “We should go here first.” She pointed towards one of the pages written in roman lettering.

“Col-Colleh…” Sayaka stuttered over the word before giving up and handing the book over to Yui.

“Colosseum,” Yui repeated with perfect pronunciation, a proud look on her face, “Shouldn’t of waited until we got here to buy the travel book.”

Sayaka scowled and crossed her arms, “At least I bought a book.”

Yui simply smiled and closed the book, “Let’s go before it gets too late,” She called towards Yuko and Kei.

______

Sayaka eyed the glass of liquid that was placed in front of her, “What’s this?”

“It’s good, trust me,” Yuko winked at the younger girl, holding a similar looking drink in her hand.

Sayaka pushed the drink away, “We have a show tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry,” Yuko waved her hand, the motion causing a bit of the liquid in her glass to spill onto the already dirty floor, “Let loose a little. Enjoy the sights. Beautiful Italian girls.”

“Don’t make Acchan mad, Yuko,” Yui reprimanded, plucking Yuko’s glass into her hands and taking a seat on the stool next to Sayaka.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Yuko reached into her pocket and fumbled with her phone, “I have to call Acchan.” Yuko looked around the dingy, club, “I’m gonna go to the bathroom and call her, it’s too loud here,” She pointed towards the far corner where the illuminated bathroom sign hung.

Yui nodded, “Don’t take too long. We should leave soon.”

“Aye!” Yuko saluted before making her way through the crowd of people blocking her way.

“Can I get a water?” Yui addressed the bartender who looked a bit irked at the request but filled up a glass of water anyways and placed it in front of the girl, “Have you seen Kei?”

Sayaka motioned towards the dance floor, “You know how she is.”

“Of course,” Yui laughed, taking a small sip of her water, “You better drink that,” She pointed towards the drink that Yuko had brought her earlier.

The guitarist made a face but raised the glass to her lips, taking a tentative sip. The flavor was sweet at first and the liquid burned her throat when she swallowed, leaving a bitter aftertaste.

“How’s Milky?” Yui asked casually.

Sayaka shot the vocalist a pointed look, “Why do you always have to bring Miyuki up every time we talk to each other?”

Yui simply shrugged, “Just curious is all.”

“She’s confusing as always.”

“You think? I think Milky’s actually quite simple. If you told her you loved her she would come running right back to you.”

Sayaka sighed into her drink, “I know.”

“Then why don’t you do it?” Yui thought it was rather ironic that Sayaka found Miyuki confusing when she was the most confusing one, “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“I do but I can’t do that to her. Besides she has Maachun now.”

“Maachun?”

“Yeah, Miyuki’s new girlfriend.”

“Oh, you mean Mayu?” Yui chuckled, “Mayu is…Well, that’s rather difficult to explain.”

“What do you mean?”

“Eh, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you this, but I’m sure you’ll find out on your own anyway,” Yui took another sip of her water before continuing, “It’s all an arrangement between her and Mayu.”

“Arrangement like what?” Sayaka motioned her hand for Yui to explain further.

“Milky’s parents want her to date Mayu. They’ve been pushing for this to happen since Mayu started working for Milky’s father. Mayu is one of Milky’s father’s favorite employees, to have her with his daughter and officially in his family is probably one of his biggest dreams,” Yui looked over at Sayaka, “You understand?”

Sayaka continued to stare blankly at Yui.

“You’re really dense sometimes, you know that?” Yui sighed, “Milky’s only with Mayu because her parents want her to be. Milky’s always refused because back then she had you, now she doesn’t have a reason to say no anymore. Milky doesn’t love her, she’s only with her to make her parents happy. Besides, it’s as plain as day she still loves you.”

“I know she does,” Sayaka said, tracing her finger up the glass, collecting the condensation, “In the end my love will only hurt her.”

Yui just shook her head, “Artists,” She mumbled under her breath, “Listen, Sayaka. She loves you and you love her. It shouldn’t be this difficult. You don’t have to put your dreams on the line to be with her, Sayaka. You’re underestimating how strong Milky really is. She understands and that’s why she chooses to be with you. Listen…Just think about it alright? You’re not helping anyone like this.”

Sayaka nodded, drowning the rest of her drink in one big gulp, “Let’s go find Keicchi and Yuko and head back. We have a show tomorrow and it’s getting late,” Sayaka pushed the empty glass away from her and leapt off the bar stool, turning towards the crowded dance floor in an attempt to find Kei.

The vocalist stared at Sayaka’s retreating back and sighed. She had changed so much from the girl she used to know.

______

“Yui! Yui!” Sayaka yelled as loud as she could, running down the empty hallway towards the older girl.

Yui turned around, startled by the loud noise and the source of it that was currently barreling towards her, “Don’t run in the hallways,” She scolded, the surprise fading from her face.

“Sorry,” Sayaka quickly said, her voice not apologetic at all, “Look at this! There’s another battle of the bands coming up soon.”

Yui turned pale at the words. Battle of the bands did not bring up any good memories for her at all, “O-Oh, that’s nice.”

“What do you think?” Sayaka asked, shoving a sheet of paper in Yui’s face.

“I think that’s great for the bands,” Yui said calmly, pushing Sayaka’s arm away.

“No, No, that’s not what I meant,” Sayaka shoved the paper back into her pocket, not bothering to fold it up again, “What do you think about us competing in it again?”

Yui made a face and turned away from the younger girl, “No.”

“Yui,” Sayaka whined, grabbing the older girl’s arm to prevent her from walking away, “Come on. We’ve got Yuko now, we’ve got a chance at this now. Back then we were way out of our leagues, but with all this practice we have and Yuko, we’ll definitely win this time!”

Yui shook Sayaka’s hand off her arm, straightening the wrinkles on her blazer, “And what if we don’t win again?” Yui turned to face Sayaka, anger written on her face, “What’s your plan then? To build up our egos only to have it knocked back down again?”

“Yui-”

“I said no,” Yui crossed her arms over her chest, “I’m not doing it again. I’m not going through that humiliation again. I never want to set foot on a stage ever again.”

Sayaka straightened her back, “That’s your problem Yui,” Sayaka accused, pointing a finger at the older girl’s chest, “You lose once and you give up. We all have our wins and we all have our losses. Everyone loses, Yui. If no one lost then there wouldn’t be any winners. Just because you give up once doesn’t give you the right to give up. I never knew you were that weak, Yui and you’re not the only one who was mad and humiliated about us not winning. We all were. But the difference between me and you is that I’ll get back up and try again while you’ll just lament in your loses and cry about it,” Sayaka’s eyes bored into Yui’s shocked ones, “And to answer your question, my plan if we lose again is to try again and again until we win.” Sayaka said before turning and stomping down the hallway.

Yui blinked, still in disbelief at the lecture that Sayaka just gave her. Yui stared at the younger girl’s back, a smile making it’s way to her face, “Sayaka,” She called, causing the girl to turn around, “Count me in then.”

______

Sayaka sat up from her bed, hearing a couple of loud, stern knocks on her room’s door, “Coming!” She called out, swinging her legs onto the carpeted floor.

“Yui?” Sayaka was surprised to see the vocalist on the other side of the door, her breath heavy.

“You should go after her.” Were the first words out Yui’s mouth.

Sayaka stared at Yui in disbelief, “We have a show today. It’s a near day flight to go to Japan. I would never make it back in time.”

“I know,” Yui pushed past Sayaka, entering the older girl’s hotel room, “Forget about the show.”

“I can’t forget about the show, we all worked so hard to get here.” Sayaka reasoned, closing the door behind Yui.

“Sayaka,” Yui sighed, placing a firm hand on the taller girl’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about us. We want you to be happy and it’s plainly obvious that you haven’t been for a while now.”

Sayaka shrugged Yui’s hand off, “But-”

The younger girl raised a hand, stopping whatever words were about to leave Sayaka’s mouth, “There’s always going to be shows to play. Your band will always be here, waiting for you,” Yui smiled softly, “Milky’s not going to wait for you forever. This is your last chance or else you’re going to lose her forever. She’s getting married, Sayaka.”

“That fast?!” Sayaka was shocked at Yui’s words. It had only been 7 months since the two had broken up and Miyuki was already getting married to someone else. Sayaka frowned, “If she’s getting married then that’s even more of a reason to not go after her. I don’t want to ruin that for her. Besides, what if she rejects me? Then it would’ve all been for nothing.”

“Sayaka,” Yui stepped closer, “Let me tell you what your problem is, you don’t believe in yourself,” Sayaka stared at Yui. She couldn’t believe it, Yui was using her own words against her, “Go after her, Sayaka. If you get rejected then your friends will be there to pick you back up. But, how can you live knowing that you never tried?” Yui smiled softly to herself, thinking back to the time when Sayaka told the same words to her, “I know I would’ve regretted it if I never took a chance and tried. I wouldn’t be here right now with you guys. I’m at my happiest because I took a chance and tried. I want you to be happy too, Sayaka. As your best friend, I am telling you to go and be selfish. Stop coming up with excuses and just go after her. Don’t worry about anything else right now.”

The older girl opened her mouth before quickly closing it again, her already thin resolve wearing thinner, “Okay,” She agreed after a few minutes lapsed by, “I’ll go.”

The small smile on Yui’s face grew into a wide grin as she lunged forwards, wrapping her arm’s around Sayaka in a tight hug.

Sayaka’s arms fell stiff against her sides, until she eventually raised them, gently (albeit awkwardly) patting the younger girl’s back.

“Follow your heart, Sayaka.” Yui sobbed into the older girl’s shoulder desperately trying to contain her laughter.

“A-alright,” Sayaka continued to pat the girl’s back despite her obvious discomfort.

“You deserve to be happy,” Yui continued, sniffling loudly, “You’re so kind and nice and generous and pretty and-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Sayaka pushed Yui away having reached her limit.

“Sorry,” Yui wiped away at her dry eyes, “I was practicing what I should say to Akane when she finds out you left.”

Sayaka shook her head, “That’ll never work,” She turned around, pulling her suitcase out of the closet, “You should get Keicchi to tell her.”

“Ah!” Yui nodded her head, determination in her eyes, “That’s a good idea. It saves me the work too.”

Sayaka chuckled, “It saves you the rage of Akane as well.”

“I’m going to go tell Keicchi and Yuko, alright?” Yui made her way for the door, giving one small wave to the guitarist, “I’ll see you in Japan. Good luck.”

“Yuihan,” Sayaka called, stopping the girl in her tracks, “Thank you. For believing in me.”

“You haven’t called me that since…” Yui stayed motionless, her hand resting on the doorknob, “It’s what friends are for. I’ll always believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself,” Yui turned around and threw Sayaka a wide smile, “You’re welcome Sayanee.”

______

“We won!” Sayaka yelled at the top of her lungs, holding the gold trophy above her head.

“I can’t believe we won!” Yuko yelled, crashing her body into Sayaka’s.

Sayaka laughed, slinging her arms around Yuko’s and Kei’s shoulders.

“We won?” Yui said quietly, still in disbelief.

“We did,” Kei smiled, grabbing by the shirt and pulling her into the group hug.

“What did I tell you?” Sayaka smirked, ruffling Yui’s hair with her free hand, “I told you we would win if we tried didn’t I?”

Yui looked up at Sayaka, tears brimming from her eyes, “I still can’t believe it.”

Sayaka chuckled and handed the trophy over to Yuko who gladly took it in her arms.

“We’re gonna go big, Yui.” Sayaka cradled Yui’s face in between her hands, “I told you we would, didn’t I? We tried and we did it.”

Yui sniffled, wrapping her arms around Sayaka’s neck bringing the younger girl into a tight embrace, “Thank you, Sayanee. Thank you for believing in me.”

Sayaka smiled, wiping away at Yui’s tears, “That’s what friends are for. I’ll always be here to believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.”

______

Sayaka sighed, situating herself into one of the hard, airport chairs. It had been hard trying to secure a ticket in such short notice, but her hard work (and fame) paid off in the end. She clutched the ticket in her hands, careful not to wrinkle the thick paper.

She reached into her pocket with her other hand, feeling her phone vibrate indicating a new message.

‘Good luck with your concert tonight. I’ll buy the DVD when it comes out.’

It was from Miyuki. Sayaka smiled to herself before quickly writing out her own response.

“Last call for flight A340 to Osaka. Please head to the gate for immediate boarding.”

Sayaka got up from her seat and made her way towards the appropriate gate, luggage dragging behind her. She felt her phone vibrate again against her thigh, this time indicating an incoming call, probably from Milky, she ignored it and let it go to voice mail. She could call her when she arrived.

“Ticket please.” The attendant said, a courteous smile on her face.

Sayaka handed the ticket over, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

The attendant gratefully took the ticket, her eyes widening when she say the name written. She quickly looked back up, studying Sayaka’s face, “I know you,” She said slowly in English, “You’re Sayaka from Bullet Dolls, right?”

Sayaka simply nodded.

“I’m a big fan,” The attendant continued, handing Sayaka back her ticket stub, “You have a concert tonight, don’t you? What are you doing here?”

Sayaka nodded again, taking the stub into her hands, she reached into the pocket of her bag and pulled a pen out. She quickly signed the ticket stub before handing it back to the attendant with a smile, “I’m going home.”


End file.
